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Harris Reinstated As Pittsburgh Promise Chairman

Hall Of Fame Running Back Resigned Last Month After Pressure From Mayor

Updated: 7:22 AM EST Dec 8, 2011

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Harris Reinstated As Pittsburgh Promise Chairman

Hall Of Fame Running Back Resigned Last Month After Pressure From Mayor

Updated: 7:22 AM EST Dec 8, 2011

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PITTSBURGH —

Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris has been reinstated as chairman of the Pittsburgh Promise .

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Harris resigned as chairman last month -- but remained a board member -- after Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he was "the wrong man to represent the Pittsburgh Promise and the ideals it embodies" due to his outspoken support for ousted Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

Ravenstahl issued the following statement on Wednesday regarding Harris' reinstatement:

"I believed very strongly that Mr. Harris's public comments showed an insensitivity towards the children who were sexually abused. That insensitivity did not align with The Promise's principles and mission and as a founder of this scholarship program I did what I believed was right, not what was necessarily popular, by bringing this matter to the board. The Promise restores hope and confidence to thousands of young people, many of whom are at-risk youths, and as board chair Mr. Harris's public statements should have put the health and safety of our kids ahead of his loyalty to any coach.After bringing my concerns to Mr. Harris and the board, it has become clear that Mr. Harris is now more sensitive to these very serious issues. At the end of the day, this is about putting kids first and protecting the weak, and I am pleased that Franco and the board recognize that. This matter is now behind us and we will continue the good work that all of us do every day to advance higher education for Pittsburgh's children."

Harris played for Paterno at Penn State before helping the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls. He said the school's trustees showed "no courage" by firing Paterno in the wake of the sex abuse scandal surrounding former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

State police have said that Paterno fulfilled a legal requirement by alerting his superiors, but he has been criticized for not doing more when he learned about a sex abuse allegation against Sandusky in 2002.